History written by the winning side The history of Westeros is divided by conquest. Before Aegon the Conqueror transformed the Seven Kingdoms into one, the Westerosi used a growing calendar, evidently, but what it was is neither defined nor explained, so it's possible that the years were counted differently from one kingdom to the next depending on the event they considered to mark year one or that they all used the same calendar, similarly based on a random year one. Also, t

The tragic tale of ambition and loss Back in the Age of Heroes, the Iron Islands had a form of government somewhat similar to a democracy. Each of the islands had two kings: a Rock King, who ruled the land, determined laws, dispensed justice and settled disputes, and a Salt King, who ruled the seas and the entire fleet for that island. Once they anchored, the Salt King was subject to the rules of the land until he sailed again. The kings were chosen in a kingsmoot, and genrea

Literary analysis and the definition of a hero The universe of Ice and Fire is extremely complex and intricately built using all sorts of literary devices and techniques that were put in place to keep the readers “in the dark” about certain aspects of the story, while keeping them engaged by constantly changing style between POVs. The author isn’t just a brilliant storyteller, he also has a precise sense of punch to close his material. Until that final line is written and rea

The power of blood magic and its connection with religion The conquest of Westeros - envisioned by His Royal Highness King Aegon I Targaryen, knows as Aegon the Conqueror and his two wives/sisters Queen Visenya and Queen Rhaenys - took two full years to cover 6 of the kingdoms and 160 years to add Dorne to the realm, which happened in 158 AC. Year 1 AC was marked by the coronation, two years after the conquest started. When King Aegon landed in what would one day become King’

The Targaryen line of succession, inspired by English history, was written in blood, violence, betrayal and conquest. The Targaryen Dynasty is one that was truly built by their words: Fire and Blood. Primarily, King Aegon I Targaryen conquered six of the seven kingdoms, making the kings of each realm bend the knee to his might. Those who refused, were murdered and replaced by others with better joints. The right of conquest, however, was played before he decided to unite the

Based on the writing, the fandom continuously wonders if Ser Duncan the Tall was a knight by title or self-entitled. The introduction of Ser Duncan the Tall to the reader is not done without pain and turmoil. Evidently, George R.R. Martin maintains his passion for writing about the “human heart in conflict”. The author has always left it clear to the fandom that writing about the human heart in conflict with itself is the only thing worth writing about Ser Duncan is first pre

What's behind the unofficial motto of the North? The unofficial sayings of any family or people in a Song of Ice and Fire holds strong significance, perhaps even higher than the family’s motto. Their history is very telling and their reason for being is of paramount importance. The stories start with a prominent character called Garth Greenhand. He was a mythical High King of the First Men and is a common ancestor of numerous houses, including the Gardeners, the original king

What are the amazing secrets hiding behind the Crypts of Winterfell? Of all castles and structures in AWOIAF, none is more haunting and impressive than Winterfell. Built eight thousand years before the story started, Winterfell started out as a vast expanse of land with walls all around it, crypts and a tower. Brandon the Builder, the legendary Stark from the age of heroes, is told to be responsible for advising on the architecture of the seventh castle for king Durran Godsgr

The Machiavellian schemer from the Fingers One of, if not the most dangerous character in ASOIAF, is lord Petyr Baelish. Despite the lack of chapters written from his own perspective, Littlefinger’s intentions and actions give the attentive reader a clear image of a corrupt, sneaky and conniving character with a true mastermind capacity. A man with no loyalties, much like Richard Neville was during the Wars of the Roses, which strongly inspired George R.R. Martin, lord Baelis

Beautiful lady Ashara Dayne, her relationship with the Starks and the Tourney at Harrenhal The tourney at Harrenhal holds many great mysteries: the secret purse that funded the event when lord Whent wasn’t that wealthy; the knight of the laughing tree; the reason for crowning lady Lyanna Stark the princess of love and beauty; the crannogman, and the one great mystery and subject of this essay, the beautiful lady Ashara Dayne. Oftentimes held in castles for the honour of a you

Interpreting prophecies in the Universe of Ice and Fire The often-discussed subjects in A Song of Ice and Fire: Prophecies, dreams and visions, are frequently mixed up with curses, which are entirely different matters. The former, are forms of augury while the latter are hexes or maledictions inflicted on a person or object as punishment with the intent of causing harm. Unequivocally, the castle of Harrenhal is cursed. After hundreds of years, the castelans and lords of the c

A man with shit for honour becomes the most honourable man In A Song of Ice and Fire, George RR Martin didn’t write a hero or a villain as a person who considers him/herself to be a hero or a villain. The characters are written so that they see themselves justified and even as saviors that should be recognized or rewarded for their deeds, even when they are doing things that are absolutely and unquestionably wrong. The heroes on the other hand, question their actions, are rid

Ser Jorah Mormont, the knight with no honour First introduced to the reader through Illyrio, who describes him by saying “The Usurper wanted his head”, Ser Jorah Mormont is one of many polemic characters in A Song of Ice and Fire. He is primarily exclusive to Daenerys’s chapters and hides behind the literary devices of intertextuality and intersubjectivity, where the former is when the text creates a relationship with other texts – Ser Jorah is with Daenerys, but his history

Who could be hiding behind the Quaithe's mask? As an individual character, Daenerys Targaryen is rarely considered a favourite. The same can be said about Jon Snow. On a real-life parallel, while George enjoys writing about the human heart in conflict, the readers in turn tend to enjoy reading about the most conflicted hearts. Jon and Daenerys are fully into the fantasy part of the story and they are harder to relate to. My personal favourite is Ser Jaime Lannister, whose hea

The relationship between weirwood trees, mythology, blood sacrifice and the loss of innocence There are several aspects of the story in A Song of Ice and Fire that leave the readers with the feeling that “there is more to it”, although by either too much or not enough information, a great deal of the details are left with loose ends, which keeps the fandom speculating and creating theories that explain where those ends tie in to make the story go full circle. As a writer, GRR

The Long Night and Azor Ahai The prophecy of Azor Ahai has been repeated for centuries on end by the followers of R’hllor and the continent of Essos has a very rich history that, when studied, shows cities, countries, cultures and architectural features that are part of the story of the long night and the people who fought to bring back the dawn. In Westeros, the readers are exposed to the knowledge of the Long Night mostly through the eyes of Old Nan, although, there is stro

Young Lady Sansa Stark slowly learns to play the Game of Thrones As a writer, George R.R. Martin is unique in many ways, but most evidently, in his use of literary devices and consistency throughout the books, associating style to character, which keeps the readers’ attention and focus, all the while changing pace from one POV to the next. The consistencies are shown in countless characters that are loved by some fans while hated by others as they shift inside their grey area

The meaning of the prophecies from the House of the Undying Throughout the hero saga in the books of a Song of Ice and Fire, several characters have dreams and visions outside the regular dreams for their hopes and fears. Ned dreams of his memories, Jon visits the crypts, Arya visits Nymeria, Bran and Jojen have green dreams, Ser Jaime has answer-giving dreams and Quaithe enters people’s dreams, but nobody has dreams like Daenerys and although she qualifies for all sorts of p

The murder of Tywin Lannister Following the saga of misunderstood and bullied characters in ASOIAF, lord Tyrion Lannister is the one who really takes the blame for everything. Historically speaking, in the middle ages, babies born with dwarfism were either given away or killed at birth. The very few exceptions were kept in high society and their families carried that as a spot of shame. Dwarfs often became circus attractions and were considered a burden to their families. Und

Burning cities to the ground and trampling nations into dust can only be done from the back of a dragon The story of Daenerys is filled with symbolism and hidden messages that seem to bring every idea to a satisfying full circle. Unfortunately, a few important details about her story aren’t noticed at first – either because Daenerys is rarely a favourite character or because her arc makes them devour the chapters with little time to analyze and dissect the meaning of the acti